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Sure, Austin, Kansas City, and Memphis may hog (get it?!) the barbecue spotlight, but here in Atlanta, we're home to more than just the country's best strip clubs: we've also got some of the country's best BBQ, as evidenced by Bone Lick, Thompson Brothers, and so many other places, it's hard to make a bad decision. Here are the 13 best...

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Decatur
In Atlanta’s pork-saturated marketplace, it’s refreshing to find people who take pride in the bovine side of barbecue. Served with a perfect “bark” of smoky, crunchy meat, CQ's bones aren't just giant, they're also better than that episode where Booth and Dr. Brennan find so... err, well, better than any episode of Bones, actually.

Cumberland
With no real seating (standing room only on the patio), and almost no parking, you’re going to order at the counter, and may have to wait outside, too, but their Korean-Southern hybrid Q is worth it... and so is the hassle of eating it while perched on the hood of your car, or sitting on one of the piles of hickory stacked outside, or wherever.

East Cobb
The criticism of GCB’s meat is that it is sometimes "too delectable." It's like when you tell your boss you’re “too hard of a worker.” But don’t worry, once you make it past the smoker by the door, if the ribs you order actually fall off the bone, you’ll have some of the city’s creamiest mac and cheese to help catch it.

Candler Park
The Brothers Fox are renowned for their meat-smoking prowess, but their more creative takes on meat include chicken-fried ribs, a Brunswick stew version of mac and cheese, and a “burger” made with brisket they've sliced, covered with bacon, and drenched in melted pimento cheese.

Westside
Not even two years old, this Mike LaSage-helmed, and David Cross (yes, Tobias Fünke)-backed spot isn't screwing around when it comes to smoking, frying, or all-out BBQing. And while the meat is spectacular, the introduction of things like fresh, fried pork rinds, their pork belly BLT, and next-level pork-n-pork-n-beans to Atlanta's BBQ scene is a welcomed development.

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Grant Park
This impressively rundown restaurant has won myriad awards, principally on the strength of some killer ribs, which happen to provide a nice “meat plate” on which you're encouraged to pile on some Polish sausage, or half a chicken, or a few of their Famous Que Wraps -- BBQ pork wrapped in bite-sized bits of dough and then deep-fried.

Smyrna
There's so much BBQ pork, chicken, and beef in this city, it's easy to miss out on 'cue's red-headed step-child: bologna... unless you're at Thompson Bros, where they'll banish all those terrible memories of lunch boxes past by piling a mass of the sweet, smoky sliced "meat" on a bun, creating a sandwich that only an idiot would trade for Timmy's Lunchables.

Poncey-Highlands
They were once labeled as underrated, but it’s time to give SAB the love it deserves. It is, after all, one of the most consistently delicious spots for eclectic ‘cue in town. Not a lot of restaurants in town could legitimately pull off Memphis baby back ribs, Korean spare ribs, a huge “dinosaur bone” beef rib, sweet and sour “Wu-Tang” brined/smoked/fried wings, and homemade banana pudding under one roof.

Poncey-Highlands
They were once labeled as underrated, but it’s time to give SAB the love it deserves. It is, after all, one of the most consistently delicious spots for eclectic ‘cue in town. Not a lot of restaurants in town could legitimately pull off Memphis baby back ribs, Korean spare ribs, a huge “dinosaur bone” beef rib, sweet and sour “Wu-Tang” brined/smoked/fried wings, and homemade banana pudding under one roof.

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Buckhead
Run by two native Atlantans named Nate and Drew, this down-home shack with a ‘70s-inspired, BBQ-sauce-hued sign (with fat-bottomed typography to make you feel more at home with your big ol’ BBQ-lovin’ ass) feels almost out of place for it’s Lenox Rd exit location. However, the neighborhood folk -- and outsiders -- love it for the simple menu of sweet, tangy, ketchup-/vinegar-based BBQ sauce-covered meats, including St. Louis ribs and other meats slow-cooked on GA-based Stump’s Smokers rigs. They even serve breakfasts like brisket biscuits starting at 7am on weekdays.

Buckhead
Run by Drew Kirkland -- former Chef de Cuisine at Rathbun’s and Kevin Rathbun Steak -- the clean and modernized 521 space doesn’t seem to fit with the standard shack-tastic decor of a BBQ business. But you'll soon realize it’s fine when you taste the flavor in the 12-hour smoked brisket sandwich, the hormone-free roasted chicken, the special beer-braised brisket, or smoked half-rack spare ribs w/ two slices of H&F white bread, with sides like Coca-Cola-braised collards.

Downtown
Set in the Luckie Marietta District area, this isn’t a location where you’d expect the barbecue to be above-average in anyway... because ATL visitors will eat damn-near anything that doesn’t get up and walk away. Yet they’re making a come-up, thanks to slow-smoked whole Springer Mountain chicken, Creekstone Farms all-natural brisket, burnt ends chili, and vanilla milkshakes spiked with Bulleit bourbon.

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Mike Jordan believes barbecue is one of the only things that keeps Southerners from killing each other. He’s on Twitter at @michaelbjordan and will accept offers to try any new or old barbecue place he hasn’t already if you swear on ya mama it’s good.

Deftly plating locally-sourced BBQ bites, Q's from two ATL natives who leverage their grilling experience (one was part-owner at Marietta's Sam & Dave's BBQ) to turn the Emory-area joint into a true neighborhood spot; that homey feel's accomplished by leaps and bounds with comforting classics like pulled pork and ribs.

From a duo originally repping TN and South Korea, Heirloom is a down-homey, natural-wood-surrounded 'cue house with Texas-sourced pecan, red oak, hickory & fruitwood ready to be tossed into two custom BBQ vaults where GA-farmed meats are slow-smoked. Get down with a variety of dinners & sandwiches (sliced brisket, stuffed turkey, baby back/St. Louis-style ribs...), sides like pork belly & Tabasco vinegar collards, grass-fed burgers, and smoked sausages including kielbasa, chaurice, and hot Italian.

You’ll walk by the smoker as you come in the front door of this East Cobb BBQ joint where they're serving some of the city's sweetest ribs. Don’t worry, if your rib meat actually falls off the bone, you’ll have some of the city’s creamiest mac and cheese to help catch it.

An Atlanta institution serving up solid BBQ fare like pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches, Frito pie, and burnt ends. We think that Fox Bros Bar-B-Q serves up some of the best BBQ in town, but you'll have to stop by and see for yourself.

Thrifty-chic arcade and pub serves some of the best southern-style BBQ you’ll ever taste. The shotgun-style restaurant interior has an open kitchen, retro booths, wraparound bar fashioned from repurposed wood, and arcade games. The menu offers a lineup of local craft beer, daily drink specials, combo meals, and more. Off the backroom is the adjoining Edgewood Speakeasy, an equally rustic hotspot with exposed brick walls and low lighting.

The exterior of Daddy D'z certainly has a lot going on, but their crazy decorations simply can't compare to the award winning barbecue that they are serving up inside. If you are not a huge barbecue fan, make sure to try some of their other meats, which are just as delicious.

Thompson's claims, "their secret is in the smoke," but we say it's in their brisket, sliced bork, and famous bologna sandwiches. We think that Thompson's serves some of the best BBQ in Atlanta, but don't take our word for it. Stop by and see for yourself!

Barbecue-loving Atlanta locals can all agree that Sweet Auburn is one of the most underrated barbecue joints in town. Howard Hsu's one-time namesake food truck is now one of Atlanta's brick-and-mortar bastions for Asian-inspired, Memphis barbecue. That's right, we're talking Memphis-style sandwiches like the King of Memphis Melt, Korean-inflected sandwiches like the Southern Seoul, Memphis baby back ribs, Pimento Cheese Wontons (with bacon marmalade), and a Sweet Auburn Taco Plate with a hodgepodge of cuisines (Southern, Mexican, and Korean) piled onto one plate.

We are already seeing great things from Smoke Ring, currently in their soft opening, like Kobe beef hotdogs wrapped in bacon just wait till they really get the smokers fired up. Locals think that Smoke Ring serves up not only the best BBQ in Castleberry Hill, but in all of Atlanta.

This 70's inspired BBQ joint is a favorite in Buckhead, but locals will tell you that Lovie's serves up the best BBQ in Atlanta. Their menu is simple, they've mastered the classics, and their breakfast dishes are like something out of a BBQ lover's dreams.

This Sandy Springs meatery is deep with seating and flavor. The brisket and pork are on-point, but the fried beef bologna sandwich is a hidden gem. No matter where you sit in their long dining room, your clothes will absorb the wafting aromas of tons of beef, and the opposite sex will love you for it.

With its red plastic chairs, booth seating, and vintage Coke ads on the wall, D.B.A. Barbecue looks like the kind of joint that would serve down-right sloppy but delicious BBQ on paper plates and cheap beer in styrofoam cups. And that's partially true -- the smoked wings, ribs, brisket, and pastrami that grace this Virginia Highland spot's plates are top-notch -- especially when paired with a side of Texas toast -- but the full bar takes things one step further with its selection of craft beers from the Southeast and spiked slushy cocktails.

Meat scientists installed two massive smokers at this Atlanta BBQ spot and used a proprietary blend of Texas mesquite and post oak for the perfect pink flavor ring. They’ve taken the best of all the US’s ‘cue, given it a dirty South twist, and piled it on a plate for you. Their slogan is something we should all live by, “BBQ Bourbon Atlanta”.